Pure
by TonksIsMyHero
Summary: What happens when a serial rapist starts targeting only the purest women? One AU character, otherwise accurate. COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer: **Since the only lawyer I ever want trailing me is Alex Cabot (BRING HER BACK), I don't own SVU. The only things that belong to me are the guest characters and Detective Caroline Schmidt.

**CHAPTER ONE**

**DOINK-DOINK**

Detective Elliot Stabler yawned his way into the 16th precinct. His colleagues were milling about, drinking coffee and finishing up paperwork from the night before. Detective Caroline Schmidt, the newest edition to the unit, was enjoying a large cream-filled donut from a box on her desk.

"May I?" asked Elliot, gesturing to the box.

"Help yourself," said Caroline.

Elliot selected a donut and his partner, Olivia Benson, came up from behind him and snatched one as well. Caroline glared at her in mock indignation, then smiled and returned to her papers. A desk away, John Munch hung up the phone.

"That was the hospital. They just brought in a twenty-three year old rape victim."

The unit's captain, Don Cragen, gave Munch a nod. Munch and his partner, Odafin "Fin" Tutuola, grabbed their coats and left. Olivia had stopped chewing.

"Swallow, please," said Elliot. Olivia did. "Some morning greeting."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Good morning, have a donut and a rape victim!" said Caroline. "Do you ever get used to it?"

"Didn't you ever have early-morning homicides in Albany?"

"Sure, but it's not like the corpses woke up and told their stories."

"True. You'll get used to the whole living victim thing, but it doesn't get easier," said Olivia.

Caroline sighed. "I'm just still a little burnt out from the last case."

Olivia didn't blame her. The first case SVU had handed Caroline involved the rape and murder of a six-year-old, the murder of her babysitter, and the discovery that the father was the perp who was also abusing his adopted son and wife…and, as if that wasn't enough, Caroline had been poisoned by a booby trap the perp had set up at his house.

"You okay?" asked Cragen.

"I think," said Caroline slowly and deliberately. "This may be a two-donut file."

**DOINK-DOINK**

"She okay to talk yet?" Fin asked the doctor who had updated them about their victim, Stephanie O'Neill.

"She should be. She's very edgy, but that's to be expected," said the doctor. She pointed them to the room. "She's right in there."

"Thanks," said Munch. He and Fin entered the room. "Stephanie O'Neill?"

The young woman had flaming red hair, very curly, pulled into a ponytail. Her green eyes were swollen from crying, and the right was even more swollen from a nasty bruise. She had a split lip and it looked as though some of her hair had been ripped out. When Munch addressed her, she looked up very slightly and nodded, sniffling.

"Yeah," she said.

"Stephanie, my name is Detective Munch and this is my partner, Detective Tutuola. We need to ask you some questions."

"Okay."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"It was last night," she started, biting her lip. "I was…I was in my room, asleep. I heard someone banging on my door and I thought the building was on fire or something. I asked who it was and they said it was the police. I saw a badge. So I opened the door and…"

Stephanie took a moment to try and regain her composure. Munch noticed that she had begun to quiver. He sat down opposite her and looked her right in the eye.

"Take a breath. What happened when you opened the door?"

"He was right there. He just came in. I tried to run into my kitchen because I have a window in there that's really easy to open…but he got to me right when I got to the doorway…and he grabbed me and put me on my couch and just…I had on a nightgown. It was easy for him."

"What happened then?" asked Fin.

"He just left after that. Just walked out the door like it was nothing. I just stayed there until the sun came up."

"How long was that?"

"Only an hour or so. When I answered the door it was almost five o'clock."

"What did you do after you got up?" asked Munch.

"I went and had coffee. I thought maybe it had been a bad dream, but then I looked down and saw my arm."

She showed them her left forearm. There were dark bruises on it where her rapist had grabbed her.

"Then you called the police?"

"No, then I had more coffee. I just kept saying to myself that I just needed to wake up and then I'd realize it was okay. But then I saw the blood and I just knew."

"Blood?" Fin repeated.

"On my nightgown. Not a lot, but just a little bit. And I just knew it had happened. And that's when I called the police."

"Okay. Thank you," said Munch.

"Can you describe the attacker?" asked Fin.

"It was really dark, but he was tall…probably six-foot-one or so. And he was pretty muscular."

"Any tattoos or anything like that?"

"Yeah. He had a tattoo on his forearm."

"Could you see what it was?"

"No, it was too dark."

"Anything else you can tell us?" asked Munch.

"Just…no. I don't think so. I'm not sure."

"If you think of anything," Munch continued, handing Stephanie his card. "Call me."

"Okay. Do you have to look in my apartment?"

"If that's okay," said Fin.

"Oh, yes, yes, it is. I was just wondering. Because I don't think I'm going to be there for a few days. I'm going to stay with my parents in Alphabet City for a while…until I feel a little safer."

"We'll go there now," said Munch.

"Will you feed my cat when you're there?" asked Stephanie, blushing slightly at the request. "I wasn't able to…you know, because…"

"Sure," said Fin.

"Thank you."

Munch and Fin left the hospital room. Fin shook his head as they stopped to talk.

"Damn," he whispered. "Someone used that girl's face for a punching bag."

"So let's find out who it was," said Munch.

"Way ahead of you."


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: **I don't own "SVU". Obviously. If I did, it would be "The John Munch Show".

**CHAPTER TWO**

**DOINK-DOINK**

"Where's that damn cat?"

Munch and Fin had arrived at Stephanie O'Neill's apartment, where CSU was already searching. Fin snickered at his partner's dislike for the creatures.

"Check her bedroom. Probably in there."

Munch made his way into the bedroom, making little tutting noises in hopes that the cat would appear. A small noise in the corner made him jump, then peer to see what it was. There, lurking behind the door, was a small Siamese cat.

"Ah. There you are. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…"

The cat started purring and rubbing up against Munch's legs, a sensation he did not enjoy. He scooped up the cat and went towards the kitchen to find the food. Fin couldn't help but smirk.

"We found something," he said, pointing so his preoccupied partner could see.

Munch looked. On the floor between the kitchen and the living room was a broken jar. It had apparently been empty.

"Think this could have a print?" asked Munch.

"No telling yet. Probably fell when she tried to run away."

"Didn't she say she had some coffee between then and calling the police?"

"Yeah…why wouldn't she have cleaned it up?"

"Shock," said Munch, still looking for the cat food. He located it in a cabinet above the sink and put the cat down. "Get down, you freaky little hairball."

"Check this out," said Fin, opening the cabinet to the left of the one Munch had. "Need a jolt?"

Inside the cabinet were three shelves of coffee grounds, all different blends and flavors – but no decaf in sight.

"This girl's got enough coffee to open her own Starbucks," said Munch.

"Weird. Anyway, they're going to gather up all the glass and see if there's a print. And come into the living room."

"What is it?"

Fin led Munch over to the sofa and pointed to one of the cream-colored pillows. Munch peered at it and saw a small stain.

"Know what that is?" asked Fin.

"If I did, I probably would have said 'ew' by now," Munch retorted. "No, what is it?"

"Urine. Probably got a little overexcited."

"Ew," said Munch. As he straightened up, something caught his eye. "What's that?"

He made his way over to the window and peered out. Across from the building was a small group of trees and in one, a glinting black object.

"Can you see that?" Munch asked Fin.

"Yeah. What is that?"

"I'll go check."

Munch left. Fin looked around the apartment once more. The place was tidy and sweet, with some pictures of Mary and Jesus on the walls and a cross above the door. He mused for a moment about highly devout people putting their religious symbols around doors…a while back, he and Munch had entered the home of an orthodox Jewish family and Munch had touched the door and kissed his fingers. Fin made a mental note to ask about that. A second later, Munch came back through the door holding a pair of binoculars.

"These were in the tree," he said. "Pervert must have used them to spy on Stephanie. It's a perfect view from there."

"What'd you do, climb in the tree and look?"

"Fine, I'm speculating. But I'm pretty sure."

"I'm with you."

Fin's phone rang. He answered it and walked to the window to get better service. Munch bagged the binoculars to send to Warner to get prints.

"That was Olivia. She said there's another victim. This one didn't make it."

**DOINK-DOINK**

"I heard a noise from upstairs, but I thought she just had the TV on too loud. She was a little deaf in her right ear, so I didn't think about it, but then I heard screaming and a crash and I got worried."

"Did you go up and check?"

"I knocked on the door, but the screaming stopped right after that, so I didn't really know what to think. I couldn't hear anything else after that, so I went back home. I came back this morning because I found her library card in the hallway and I knew she needed it. She was a law student and her exams were coming up."

Elliot was interviewing the elderly woman, the neighbor of the victim.

"What happened then?"

"I knocked on the door and no one answered. I was a little worried because of the night before, so I tried to open the door and it was unlocked. Then I came in and saw…"

"Thank you, Mrs. Gawey."

"Elliot, check this out."

Olivia beckoned him over. Warner was examining the body, peering closely at a small puncture wound in the woman's thigh.

"What's that?"

"Puncture, probably from a syringe."

"Addict?" asked Olivia.

"Diabetic. There were other syringes in the bathroom and insulin. Still, the other shots were done on her left thigh and this is her right. I'll look into it."

Warner continued to look at the body while Olivia and Elliot straightened up.

"Let's go see what Munch and Fin found at Stephanie O'Neill's."

"Hopefully not this."


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **All I own is a Black Dog Yoga shirt.

**Author's Note: **This chapter ended up just sort of being a "learn some more about the new detective and have some comic relief" chapter. Next up is a more freaky-deaky one, hopefully.

**CHAPTER THREE**

**DOINK-DOINK**

"John, I promise he wasn't taking pictures of _us_."

"How do you know that for sure?"

"Because he was pointing the camera about ten yards to the left of us."

"It could be a trick camera with the lens off to the side. Hidden. It's happened before."

"Oh, God, here we go…"

"Besides, if you live in a big city, you could be photographed up to twenty times in one day. You do know that, right?"

"I'm sure, Munch."

"It's _true_!"

"I never said it _wasn't_!"

"And then there's the fact that Big Brother can easily intercept cell phone calls. That guy could have heard my conversation with Olivia earlier, heard the dirt about the case, and gone there to take some pictures. Damn journalist."

"You think a reporter listened in on your cell?"

"I'm just saying it's a possibility."

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop talking."

Munch hadn't let go of the strange cameraman he spotted outside the second victim's apartment building. Fin knew for a fact the guy wasn't taking pictures of them – they were obviously of the couple about ten yards away – but Munch remained convinced that it was somehow a government conspiracy. They entered the precinct and were greeted by Olivia.

"Hey! What took you guys so long?"

"Munch drove," said Fin.

"Ah. Okay, we need to –" Olivia began.

"Well, excuse me if I go the speed limit," interrupted Munch defensively. "You drive like you're trying to escape a cheetah."

"At least I get us where we need to be."

"So do I!"

"About twelve years later."

"Hey, ADD boys? Focus on me, please. Our new vic is Antonia Mendez. She was twenty-two, single, and worked at Fluffy's Bakery on 55th and 7th."

"Who saw her last?" asked Fin.

"We're trying to establish that. We haven't talked to her co-workers yet."

"How about you an Elliot take that?"

"Elliot's got some school thing for the twins. He took off."

"I'll go with you," said Munch.

Munch and Olivia left to go talk to the employees at the Bakery. Fin sat down opposite Caroline, who was still buried under a mountain of paperwork and still snacking on donuts.

"I'd have thought you were one of those girls who thought about your figure all the time," Fin remarked.

Caroline gave him what could only be described as a "vulture face".

"Sorry," said Fin.

"No, it's cool," said Caroline. "I actually could care less about my figure. I was just blessed with a good one. Plus I run two miles a day, so I can pretty much eat what I want."

"So, what's the paperwork?"

"Just stuff about the poisoning. Incredibly boring. And then some stuff about the transfer. Also boring. Is there anything you want to distract me with?"

"No one's told you anything yet?"

"No! And I'm going crazy. Please, let me play cop for a little while!" said Caroline, throwing her pen down and taking off her square glasses irritably.

"Well, there was this morning's rape victim, Stephanie O'Neill, and then we had another who didn't make it named Antonia Mendez. We're still waiting to hear from Warner on anything medical that could help us out."

"Any connection?"

"Not that we can tell. They don't work together, they're different ethnicities, live in different parts of town…only thing they have similar is that they're both single, pretty, and close in age. And no signs of forced entry either time, but Stephanie says the guy posed as a police officer to get inside."

"Do we think it's the same guy, then?"

"No idea. Doesn't look that way, but it's a possibility."

Caroline sighed and sat back in her chair. "Let me tell you, I miss Homicide so far."

"Come on, that couldn't have been any easier than this."

"I don't know. Maybe I just miss home."

"Who the hell would miss Albany?"

Caroline laughed. "No, I mean I miss _home_. The people."

"Your family?"

"Yeah. My sister, mostly. She's just…she's everything to me. I can't wait until I can get her out here."

"She's moving in with you?"

"Hopefully. See…she and my mom just don't get along. Nothing wrong with either of them…my mom's basically Martha Stewart on speed. You know, like always fluffing the pillows and hosting Tupperware parties. My sister, Catherine, is a total flaming liberal who's all about feminism. Oh, and she's a lesbian. Not really what my mom's a fan of."

"How old is she?"

"Nineteen. She was supposed to get her own place, but it just…didn't happen. I don't really know all the details. Anyway, she's going to move out here and stay with me until she can get her own place."

"Hey, Caroline?" said Fin suddenly.

"What?"

"Pull up your shirt."

Caroline looked down and noticed that her cleavage was very apparent. She blushed and pulled up her shirt, laughing, and then zipped her jacket as well.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"I actually have to take off as well…I've got a doctor's appointment."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just a check-up. See you later."

"Bye."

Caroline gathered her things and smiled at Fin. She threw away her coffee cup and left, smashing a hat onto her head before leaving. Fin reached across her desk and pilfered a donut.


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **I also own a pair of size 9/10 low rise Aeropostale jeans. But not "SVU". By the way, no, not every male in the precinct has a crush on Caroline. It's just a reference back to how Olivia called her "precinct candy" in "Possessive".

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**DOINK-DOINK**

"Antonia? I can't believe this," said Antonia's manager, a big man named Steve.

"What kind of employee was she?" asked Munch.

"Ideal. She's only called in sick once in eighteen months of working for me. She's good with the customers, she's efficient, always has a smile on her face…I think she was just happy to have a job."

"What do you mean?"

"Antonia wasn't born in America. She's from Spain. She and her mother moved here a few years ago. For a while they were okay, but then her mom got sick and all their money went to her hospital fees. When her mom died, Antonia had to find a job of her own."

"Do you know if she has a second job?" asked Olivia.

"Yeah, she does. She does some sort of graphic design or something. Not really sure what. She's only mentioned it once or twice."

"Was Antonia in yesterday?" asked Munch.

"Yeah, from nine to four-thirty. She had to take off after that to get to some baby shower."

"Know who the shower was for?"

"Uh…probably her friend Jacqueline. I think she said she was pregnant."

"Do you know how we can get in touch with Jacqueline?" asked Olivia.

"No, sorry. I wish I could help you."

"Did Antonia have a boyfriend?"

"No. Not that she didn't get asked out, but she said she wanted a nice 'wholesome' guy to settle down with."

Olivia handed him her card. "If you can think of anything, call me."

"Will do. I hope you find the guy."

Munch and Olivia left the bakery and stood for a moment, adjusting to the New York chill. Munch looked over the notes he had taken as they started walking towards the nearest vendor.

"This Jacqueline," said Munch thoughtfully as they waited for their hot dogs. "Do we know if Antonia kept an address book or had caller ID?"

"I'll ask Fin to make a quick stop and find out for us," said Olivia, dialing her cell phone.

**DOINK-DOINK**

The next day, everyone was gathered around their desks, save for Caroline, who was an hour late. Cragen chewed a piece of licorice meditatively.

"We checked around for Antonia's friend Jacqueline. According to the caller ID, she called Antonia around ten o'clock that night. I'm going to check up on that today," said Fin. "Find out what it was about. Maybe she knows something."

"Do that now," said Cragen.

Fin picked up his phone and called Jacqueline. Caroline suddenly bustled in. Her hair wasn't braided. Instead, it was loose around her face and it was soaked from the slushy rain falling outside. She was pink from the cold and winded from running in.

"I'm so sorry," she wheezed.

"It's fine," said Cragen. "Have a seat."

Caroline yanked back her hair and started braiding it. She didn't look nearly as together as she normally did.

"So," she began hoarsely. "What have I missed?"

"Not a lot," said Elliot. "Antonia's last known whereabouts may have been this baby shower for a friend who called her at ten the night before she was murdered. Fin's checking it out now."

"Okay. And DNA?"

"Plenty. Idiot didn't use a condom."

"Brilliant. Anything else?"

"Yeah. He peed all around her sofa."

"Lovely," said Caroline, wrinkling her nose in a childlike way. "What was he doing, marking his territory?"

"Probably," said Olivia.

"Jacqueline is Antonia's best friend," said Fin, hanging up. "She called Antonia that night to ask if she'd left behind her cell phone. Antonia had left the baby shower at nine."

"That's a late shower," said Caroline.

"Well, it was over at five, but Antonia stayed to help clean up and ended up hanging around for a while. I didn't find anything else out. Jacqueline was crying too hard to even talk right."

"What else do we know about Antonia?" asked Elliot.

"She's a devout Catholic. She's never missed a mass and sometimes comes in multiple times per week," said Munch. "The priest said she was one of the most polite people he'd ever known, and he included himself in that."

"Stephanie O'Neill is Catholic, too," said Fin. "She had Mary and Jesus all over her apartment."

"Think that's this guy's target?"

"Could be," said Elliot.

"It's a pervert's ultimate fantasy...overgrown Catholic schoolgirl," said Munch.

Olivia hung up her phone. No one had even noticed she'd picked it up in the first place. She looked absolutely stunned.

"What's wrong, Liv?" asked Elliot.

"Stephanie O'Neill was rushed to the hospital last night. Drug overdose."

"Is she okay?"

Olivia shook her head. "She's in the ICU in a coma."

Everyone looked at each other, shocked. Stephanie O'Neill had been all right just yesterday, albeit shaken.

"Suicide attempt?" Munch asked.

"Hospital doesn't think so. They want someone to come down. El?"

"I'll get my coat," said Elliot, standing up.

"How come no one called us last night?" asked Fin.

"Maybe they didn't think to," said Caroline. "If you have what seems like a suicide attempt, you're not going to waste time making calls."

"Right. Let's get out there," said Munch.


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: **_To the tune of the Mexican Hat Dance _They're not mine, they're not mine, they're not mi-ine, they're not mine, they're not mine, they're not mi-ine, they're not mine, they're not mine, they're not mi-ine, they're not mine, they're not mine, they're not mine!

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**DOINK-DOINK**

"She had lethal amounts of ecstasy in her system," said the doctor. "Thank God we got to her when we did."

"Who made the call?" asked Olivia.

"Call was placed by a neighbor downstairs in her parents' building. Heard a commotion, thought something bad was going on, called 911."

"Where were her parents?"

"Her mom's in New Jersey visiting a sick aunt for another day and her dad was at the store."

"You said it wasn't a suicide attempt," said Elliot. "How do you know?"

"There's bruising around her jaw's hinges that wasn't there when she was raped. Someone held her mouth open and

forced pills down her throat."

"Did she regain consciousness at all?"

"Only for a second."

"Did she say anything?"

"Just that she was hurting," said the doctor. "I've got rounds."

As the doctor walked off, Elliot and Olivia peered into the hospital room in the ICU. Stephanie's bright red hair surrounded her battered head, and her dark bruises were apparent even from their distance.

"So Stephanie is raped one night, goes to another part of town, and then gets drugged almost to death? That's not a coincidence."

"No, it's not," said Olivia. "But how did whoever it was find her?"

"I'd like to know that too. She says she didn't know her attacker, but how else would he know where she was? I'm going to get Munch to get her phone records and see if anything looks crooked," said Elliot as he dialed.

**DOINK-DOINK**

"Well, I have good news and bad news," said Warner. "Which do you want first?"

"I'll take the bad," said Munch.

"You would," said Fin. "What is it?"

"She was definitely murdered. There were huge amounts of heroin in her blood, and the puncture from the syringe on her right thigh has bruising surrounding it, indicating it was forced into her leg instead of gently inserted."

"So what's the good?"

"They found the syringe and it was covered in fingerprints."

"Bastard doesn't take the syringe with him?" asked Munch.

"Apparently not."

"Any match on the prints?"

"Unfortunately, no, but we'll keep trying."

"That should have gone with the bad news," said Fin.

"Sorry. At least we know the cause of death."

"Yeah, overdose, but that's hard to –"

"No, it wasn't the overdose that killed her," said Warner. "The heroin wasn't able to work its way through her body, so it must have been injected only a minute or so before she died. She had internal bleeding from being beaten. The heroin, I'm guessing, was just an added precaution."

"Make sure the job gets done," said Fin. "Okay, thanks."

"No problem. Anything else comes up, I'll let you know."

**DOINK-DOINK**

Munch and Fin returned to the squadroom to find Caroline covered under yet another heap of papers. She was on the phone and looked anxious. She began yelling in a language Fin couldn't distinguish. Munch, however, looked amused as Caroline slammed down the phone.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"The putz at the doctor's office got on my last nerve," she fumed.

"What the hell were you saying, girl? You sounded possessed," said Fin.

"Just _er iz a niderrechtiker kerl_," she muttered, taking up her pen again.

Fin looked helplessly to Munch.

"Yiddish. Means something like he's a low-down good-for-nothing."

"How many languages you speak?"

"Four besides English: Polish, French, Russian, and Yiddish," said Caroline. "We mutts have to be able to communicate with the most random of people. My parents spoke Yiddish, French, and English around the house, and I happen to think Polish and Russian are pretty languages. What did Warner have to say?"

"Antonia's cause of death was internal bleeding from being beaten and after that, the perp injected her with heroin to be sure she didn't make it," said Munch.

"DNA? Fingerprints? Anything?"

"Yeah, we got all that, but no matches," said Fin.

"Damn it," said Caroline.

"Yeah. And while we're damning stuff, I've got to get to ACS to work out some of that stuff with the Kohlers," said Fin, walking off.

"When do you get to stop all this paperwork?" asked Munch.

"When I'm done with it," said Caroline touchily.

"Sorry."

"No…I didn't mean…yeah. Sorry. I'm just edgy."

"I can tell. You need to talk?"

Caroline hesitated. "I'm okay."

"All right. Well, you know my number. Call me anytime."

"Thanks, John."

Munch sat down. Cragen suddenly came bustling in looking furious.

"Why the hell didn't you call me the second you found out about Hayley Wernberg?" he demanded.

There was a silence. Munch and Caroline glanced at each other and Caroline shrugged.

"Who?" asked Munch.

"Vic from this afternoon."

"When did you find out about her?" asked Munch. "I haven't heard anything."

"Well, someone did. They're over there now investigating. I only know because some guy called it in saying the cops were freaking him out."

"Hold on. Start over. What happened?"

"Eighteen-year-old NYU student raped in her dorm," said Cragen. "Are you saying you really haven't heard anything?"

"Well, where have you been?"

"Court."

"I'm on it," said Munch.

"Caroline…go with him," said Cragen, as though it were against his better judgment.

"Hell yes!" Caroline stood up immediately and snatched her coat. "I'm outta here!"

"You know, when I first met you, I thought you'd turn out to be quiet," said Munch.

"Ha!" Caroline let out a hearty chortle. "Shattered that delusion, didn't I?"


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: **I think we both know what goes here. NOT MINE!

**CHAPTER SIX**

**DOINK-DOINK**

Out in the freezing New York air, Caroline took a few deep breaths and smiled widely. Her cheeks were already becoming rosy from the cold.

"Why so cheerful? We're about to investigate a rape," said Munch as they climbed into his car.

"You try balancing your time between the squadroom and waiting rooms for a week and you'll learn to truly appreciate the sweet smell of pollution."

"Why the waiting rooms?"

"Eh, I've had some doctor's appointments lately. Just follow-up stuff."

"From the Picrotoxin thing?"

"Yeah."

"How bad were you poisoned, exactly, to have to do all that?"

"Just badly enough, apparently. John, turn here."

"I know how to get there. But really, you were fine the next day. What else could they have to worry about?"

Caroline started to say something, then stopped and just stared out the window for a moment. Munch didn't know whether or not to push it. He didn't have to decide, though.

"We're here," he said as they pulled up in front of the college. There were far more police officers than they had expected.

"Detective Schmidt," said Caroline to the nearest officer, flashing her badge. "This is Detective Munch. SVU. What's the entire NYPD doing here?"

"Party in a dorm room. A police officer was nearby, said he'd seen someone running out of the building, and went in to investigate. He flashed his badge to a girl, she let him in, and she got raped."

"So obviously not a real officer," said Munch.

"Hope not!" said the cop. "Girl's in her room if you want to talk to her."

"Thanks."

"Well, that sounds familiar to me," said Caroline. "Poses as someone important to get in. There wouldn't be any sign of forced entry."

"We have to see Hayley before we make any decisions about an M.O."

"One thing," said Caroline. "Wernberg."

"Yeah, I thought about that, too."

"Not Catholic."

"Nope."

"What is it with men and Catholic girls, anyway?"

"That's out of the blue."

"Just wondering."

"It's lust for the unattainable, mostly," said Munch.

"I don't get it."

"It's the little plaid skirts, mostly."

"Men are so gross."

"Yeah," Munch agreed.

"Ugh. Little plaid skirts. Ugh," said Caroline under her breath. Munch held back a laugh.

"It's the truth."

"You're a pervert."

"Am not. I personally prefer a nice Jewish girl," said Munch, smiling a little.

"Smart man," said Caroline.

"Here's Hayley's room."

Caroline knocked. "Hayley?"

Hayley opened the door. She had a terrible shiner on one eye and a split lip. She had been crying and wore a dark red terry robe.

"Hayley, I'm Detective Schmidt and this is Detective Munch. Can you tell us what happened?"

Hayley let them in. Caroline and Munch took in their surroundings – Hayley's side of the room was decorated with various Hebrew phrases and a poster saying "Chai Five" over her bed. On a calendar on her desk was marked the time of each sunset on Friday evenings.

Hayley sat on her bed and hugged her pillow. "I was having a party. My roommate and I invited the other performing arts kids over for a hall party. It was a lot of fun. No alcohol or anything, but apparently some guy brought drugs. I told him to get out or I'd call the police, so he took off. Everyone was leaving anyway. So they all went home and about an hour later there was a knock at the door and I opened the door just a little. A guy showed me his badge and said he was a plainclothes detective looking for evidence on a drug bust or something, so I let him in."

"Where was your roommate?" asked Munch.

"She went home with her boyfriend. She always does on Fridays," said Hayley with slight disgust.

"You don't approve?"

"I'm one of those abstinence people," she said. "We're few and far between."

"Yeah," said Caroline. "What happened when you let him in?"

"He closed and locked the door and turned off the lights. Then he pushed me onto my bed and said if I made a noise, he'd kill me. He hit me really hard when I tried to get him off, so I just stopped fighting. And…well, you know what happened then. And he just left."

"Okay. Have you taken a shower since then?"

"No. I know what that can do."

"Good. Did you get a good look at him?" asked Munch.

"Sort of. He was pretty tall…He had dark hair. Short. It was too dark to really see his face very well."

"Do you remember a scent or anything? Maybe you saw a scar or a tattoo?"

"Um…well, he didn't really smell like anything. I wasn't really thinking about it. But he had a scar or a tattoo or something on his arm. I couldn't really see it."

"We're going to get you to the hospital for a rape kit and then I'll ask you some more questions, okay?" said Caroline. "You're doing great."

"Thank you. Will you come with me?"

"Sure. Do you want to take some clean clothes with you?"

"Yeah," said Hayley shakily, standing up.

"I'll be right outside."

Caroline and Munch waited outside her door.

"You hear that? Sounds like him to me," said Caroline immediately.

"Yeah, it's definitely him. I smelled the urine."

"All three girls are pretty, young, and religious. But now he's mixing it up religion-wise, which could make it much harder to find him."

"He's gotten three girls in two days. It won't be that hard."

Hayley came out of her room, still in her robe, holding some clothes in her arms. Caroline put an arm around her shoulders and led her down the stairs as Munch followed.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: **Not mine, but let's all save up and buy Munch so he can have more airtime.

CHAPTER SEVEN DOINK-DOINK 

"How's Hayley?" asked Elliot as Munch returned to the station.

"She's surprisingly fine," said Munch.

"Was she drugged, too?" asked Olivia.

"She said the guy tried to shove the pills into her mouth and she held them there, then spat them out later. We got hold of them and are waiting to see if there's DNA on them, too. Caroline stayed with her and they'll be here soon to take her statement."

"Well, we're going to plant Caroline at Fluffy's tomorrow. I talked to the boss guy and he said this one man paid an awful lot of attention to Antonia all the time. He's a regular. Shouldn't be too hard to track down," said Fin.

DOINK-DOINK 

Caroline sat in Fluffy's Bakery late the next night, sipping a mochaccino and reading a book called "Jewish Literacy". She wore her hair down today, her soft curls framing her face attractively, and as opposed to her usual dark slacks and button-down blouses, she had opted for a flowy white skirt and short-sleeved blue shirt. Munch and Elliot sat in the car just outside, trying not to look like cops. Caroline had her cell phone on in case they needed to contact her.

"See anything yet?" Cragen's voice sounded over the radio.

"No. Wait, yes. Elliot, you see him?" said Munch, pointing at a man in a red shirt.

"Yeah. I'll get Caroline to ask about him," said Elliot, dialing Caroline's phone.

"Hello?" said Caroline.

"It's Elliot. Ask Steve if that's the guy, and if so, leave, and see if he follows you."

"Yeah, I think I left it at Mrs. Brownstein's. See if Jennifer wants to go later. I'll call you back, okay?" Caroline seemed to enjoy speaking in code.

"If it's him, buy a donut. If not, just sit back down."

"Okay. Bye!"

Caroline hung up and tucked her hair behind her ears. She crossed over to Steve and he leaned across the counter at him.

"Is that the guy?" she asked softly. Steve nodded. "Okay. Could I get a cream donut to go, please?"

Steve bagged a donut for her and Caroline left. Munch and Elliot got out of the car, keeping a good distance between them, and saw the man leave and start walking after Caroline.

"Now?" said Elliot, ready to pounce.

"Not yet," said Munch. "Wait until she's gotten into the apartment."

A very cooperative owner of an apartment building near the bakery had offered a recently vacated apartment for them to use as a set-up. They had quickly moved furniture into the living room in case the perp got a look inside, just to make it more realistic. Caroline went into the building and called Munch on his cell.

"I'm inside. Is he going in?"

"Not yet. Wait a few minutes."

Elliot kept walking past the building and took a sharp right, going into the alley behind it. He climbed the fire escape to Caroline's "apartment" and waited there, ready to climb inside in case of any incident.

Munch looked through squinted eyes at the man in the red shirt. He had stopped outside of the building, rooted through his pockets, and took something square out. Munch didn't have to wonder what it was. The man went right into the building, since it lacked the usual security system.

"Elliot, he's in," said Munch over the radio he and Elliot were wired with.

"John!"

Munch turned to see Fin making his way toward him.

"He's in. Go."

Fin ran inside to stop the perp. Munch followed, though more slowly. Elliot, still looking through the window, saw Caroline pacing back and forth. He rapped on the window and she jumped, then ran to him.

"Why isn't he inside yet?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Elliot. "But stay calm. We'll take care of it."

Caroline suddenly looked terrified.

"What?"

"There's a knock at the door," she whispered.

"Go answer it," said Elliot.

Caroline crossed slowly to the door. "Who is it?" she called. There was no answer. She looked through the peephole and saw a man standing there, holding a badge up to the window. She nodded to Elliot.

Fin rounded the corner and grabbed the guy, knocking him to the ground. Caroline opened the door and pulled her gun, aiming it at the guy, who was holding his hands up in submission, looking absolutely terrified.

"What's your name? What's your name?" Caroline shouted a few times. The man looked right at her, but didn't respond. Fin smacked him upside the head. "What's your name?"

"Jeffery," the man mumbled in a throaty voice. "Hodges."

"You're coming with us, Jeff," said Fin.

DOINK-DOINK 

Munch and Fin left the interrogation room after only a few seconds in there. Caroline, who still seemed slightly shaken from the evening's goings-on, looked at them in amazement. Cragen stood up.

"Unless all he said was 'I did it', I want to know what the hell you're doing out of there so fast. Lawyer?"

"He's deaf," said Munch. "And he has no tattoo. Hayley and Stephanie both said their attackers had a tattoo on his forearm."

"He had a badge," said Caroline.

"It was yours," said Fin. "You dropped it on your way out of the bakery."

Caroline took the badge slowly and looked as though she'd just been tossed into a bucket of ice.

"So our guy's still out there?" she said.

"Yeah," said Elliot, who had just returned. "And apparently, Fluffy's wasn't the connection. I just got off the phone with Steve who apologized for lying about the guy, but he just hoped you'd be able to catch someone."

"Prick," Caroline mumbled.

"But there is something. Apparently, Antonia was a student at an ESL school on the Upper West Side. We could talk to the students and staff there. She was in the beginning program."

"I thought she'd been here for years?"

"Yeah, but she'd never bothered to learn English until then."

"Fine. We can go tomorrow."

"One problem," said Elliot slowly. "The only students she'd probably know there are in the beginning program, meaning they probably can't give us any information in English. At least not very easily."

Caroline suddenly smiled. "I knew I came to the right place."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

**Author's Note: **I'm not trying to make Caroline a superhero. She's actually a slightly modified (as in smarter and prettier) version of me…and I speak those languages, too. So people like us do exist J Also, as you'll soon find, she has her fatal flaws. Oh, whoops, have I said too much?

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**DOINK-DOINK**

Caroline, Munch, and Olivia walked into the English as a Second Language school. All around were students of all nationalities and backgrounds in classrooms, learning English as best they could. A teacher greeted them.

"Are you here about Antonia Mendez?" she asked.

"Yes," said Olivia. "Detectives Benson, Munch, and Schmidt. We were hoping to talk to some of the students."

"That's perfectly fine. When I heard about her…well, it was just terrible. She was about the sweetest thing you'd ever meet. Just a darling girl. I already told some of the students you'd want to talk to them…but just so you know, their English is very poor. They're still just learning, and most of them have just enrolled because it's fall, and our autumn session just began."

"That's fine. We're all language proficient, especially Schmidt here. Who can we talk to?" asked Olivia, putting her badge away.

"If you speak Russian, there are two girls here who knew her. Four Spanish-speakers were good friends of her, and there's quite a few Middle Eastern students."

"Well, none of us speak Arabic, but Schmidt and I can take on the Russians, as long as they don't offer us any of that pepper-flavored vodka they seem to love so much," said Munch in his usual dry way.

"Who are the Spanish-speakers?" asked Olivia.

"This way," said the teacher. "The Russian girls, Yuroslava Toumanova and Lana Karnovich, are in that room to the left."

Caroline and Munch walked to the room and peered in. A teacher was instructing a class of about nine students of all ages, all speaking Russian and broken English. Caroline leaned over to Munch.

"My Russian's my worst," she muttered. "It's probably going to have to be all you."

"Thanks for telling me ahead of time," said Munch.

"Well, if they have any French people, I'm more than capable."

"Doubt it. Okay, let's do it."

Munch knocked on the door and opened it. The teacher stopped talking and looked inquiringly at him.

"Мы поговорить к Yuroslava Toumanova и Lana Karnovich," he said quickly.

Two pretty blonde girls got up and came to the door. The smaller of the two, Lana, did not look at Munch, but drifted immediately to Caroline. The detectives led the young ladies to another room, an empty one, and sat down.

"Вы знали Antonia Mendez?" asked Caroline. Lana nodded. "Были вы друзьями?"

"Она была сладостной девушкой. Я полюбил она много. Мы поговорили бы на английском языке совместно полностью время," said Lana all in one breath. Caroline felt overwhelmed. 

"Я плохо говорю по-русски. Говорите, пожалуйста, медленнее?" Caroline said, requesting her to speak more slowly. Lana looked angry. 

"I try to speak to you in my language. You say you speak. Now I speak slower?" she burst out. "A man kill Antonia and maybe kill me!"

"Your English is pretty good," said Caroline. "You were close with Antonia?"

"She is sweet girl. We speak in English often. I go to her bakery."

"Fluffy's?"

"Yes."

"Did Antonia ever say anyone was bothering her?"

"No. She is sweet girl. No one ever bother her. Everyone like her."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure! You are supposed to be police worker. You find the man who kill Antonia!"

Caroline was getting visibly annoyed. Munch, who had been having a feverish exchange in Russian with Yuroslava, decided to rescue her.

"Пойдите back to ваш класс. Спасибо, Lana," he said.

Lana got up in a huff and left, slamming the door. Caroline ventured out after a moment, leaving Munch alone with Yuroslava. She had been very helpful so far, and then she said something that made Munch's heart skip a beat.

"Stephanie будет славной девушкой, слишком. Справедливо как Antonia."

She knows Stephanie? Munch thought. _How in the world? Stephanie speaks English fluently._

Munch thought. 

"Как вы познакомлены с Stephanie O'Neil?" he asked.

"Она будет волонтером здесь," said Yuroslava.

Munch thanked her and let her go to her classroom and ran to find Caroline. She was standing there with Olivia, asking how it had gone.

"Everyone said the same thing. Antonia was a sweet girl and there's no way anyone would ever want to hurt her," said Olivia.

"Stephanie O'Neil volunteers here," said Munch.

"What?"

"Yuroslava just told me that Stephanie is a volunteer here. If Stephanie comes here and Antonia came here, do you think Hayley might as well?" he said, his head reeling with this new, random connection.

"I'll go check," said Caroline, clearly desperate for something constructive to have done, having failed the language portion of the day.

The teacher from before smiled at Caroline as she approached, her braids tossing from side to side as she walked.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah. Do you have volunteers often?"

"Yes, we have many."

"Can I see a list or something?" asked Caroline.

"Sure. Here," said the teacher, showing her to a welcome desk. "This is our sign-in."

Caroline stared. Surely enough, there was Hayley Wernberg's signature, five spaces blow Antonia Mendez's and eight spaces below Stephanie O'Neil's. Each girl had been there on the same day.

"Does that help?" asked the teacher.

"Yes," said Caroline. "We may have just solved a crime."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. Maybe one day, when I've single-handedly saved the universe from total annihilation, Dick Wolf will give me the characters of Munch and Jefferies as a present. Because Jefferies should come back.

**CHAPTER NINE**

**DOINK-DOINK **

"This is the best news I've heard all day," said Cragen, looking at the volunteer list. "Any good information from the students?"

"We went back and talked to Lana and Yuroslava before we left. They both said one of the volunteers, Adam Marcella, is always hitting on them and bothering them. I'd like to bring him in here," said Munch.

"Well, we can't just bring him in if he flirts. We need a better reason than that," said Elliot.

"How's this: he showed them a toy police badge he'd picked out for his nephew. Lana said it looked really realistic. She told me she thought it was real at first," said Caroline.

"No, she babbled at you and you looked helplessly at me," said Munch. Caroline smacked him on the arm.

"Shut up, Munch."

"Вы знаете вас влюбленность оно," he said.

"I do _not _love it," said Caroline. "Fermez l'enfer."

"English, if we would, kids?" said Cragen. "Get this Marcella guy and sweat him, Elliot."

"Should be easy," said Fin. "Marcella's been arrested twice for drug possession."

Everyone shared a glance with each other.

"Go, Fin, Elliot. Get the bastard," said Cragen. "I want him under arrest by dinner."

"I'll go, too," said Caroline. "He might not speak English."

"Great help you'll be," said Munch.

"Est-ce difficile trouver une cravate plus odieuse que vous?" she quipped. Cragen sniggered.

After Caroline had left, Munch looked at Cragen for a translation.

"I'm not telling you what she said," said Cragen. "But that tie _is _obnoxious."

**DOINK-DOINK**

Adam Marcella was outside his apartment building, waxing his car. He was a tall man with dark hair and his sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms. Caroline walked right up to him and flashed her badge. He looked suddenly scared.

"You speak English?" she asked.

"Badly," he said in a thick Italian accent. "I only move here a while ago."

"I don't speak Italian. You'll just have to deal with English. How long have you been volunteering at the ESL school?"

"I go to lessons on Tuesdays and I work Sundays. One year."

"You friends with Antonia Mendez?" asked Munch.

"No, I don't know her."

"How about Stephanie O'Neil or Hayley Wernberg?" asked Fin.

"I do not know the names," said Marcella, still waxing the car. Fin knocked the wax out of his hand and grabbed his arm. "Why you grab me?"

Fin showed his arm to Caroline and Munch, who gave their odd half-smiles to Marcella.

"Nice tattoo," said Caroline very quietly, taking out her handcuffs.

**DOINK-DOINK**

"I want to interrogate him," said Caroline. "I need to."

"Fin, go with her," said Cragen. "There's no way I'm letting a female detective talk to him alone."

"I can handle myself, Captain!" Caroline argued.

"You're five-foot-two and can't be more than 115 pounds. He's six-foot-one and at least 235. I just don't want you getting hurt again."

"Fine," said Caroline, obviously annoyed.

Fin put an arm around her shoulders and started leading her. "Let's go."

In the interrogation room, Marcella sat there, calmly sipping a soda. Caroline smiled inwardly. As soon as he finished it, the can would go to the lab for DNA testing, which would most definitely prove Marcella to be their perp.

"Well, Adam, you're a busy fella!" said Caroline brightly. "You seem to love spending your days stalking young, pretty girls, raping them, drugging them, occasionally killing them…sound fun to you?"

"I do not know why you talk this to me," said Marcella. "I do not hurt anyone."

Caroline leaned very close to Marcella's face. "You beat Stephanie O'Neil to a bloody pulp. You dragged her to her sofa and raped her, watching her cry and suffer, and you left her there. You found her at her parents' house and you forced drugs down her throat just so she wouldn't talk. You know where she is now, buddy? You screwed up. You didn't kill her. You only managed to put her in a coma."

"This is silly police talking."

"I don't think it's silly," said Fin. "I think you also killed Antonia Mendez."

Fin tossed a pile of photos onto the table. Marcella looked at picture after picture of graphic crime scenes and medical reports. His face turned pale.

"You remember now?" asked Caroline.

"I want a lawyer," said Marcella.

Caroline remained in his face for a moment, then dismounted from the table and stormed out, Fin following her. She was positively fuming.

"Take a break, Schmidt," said Cragen. "He lawyered up. There's nothing we can do."

"I'm going to get that damn soda can from him first," she said, and before anyone could stop her, she'd stormed back into the room.

"You go away! I say I want the lawyer!"

"Give me that damn can. You done?"

Caroline didn't wait for him to reply. She snatched the empty can from the table and came back out.

"Send this filthy thing to the lab," she spat, shoving it in Elliot's hand.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: **They're not mine!

CHAPTER TEN DOINK-DOINK 

"Well, I have good news and bad news," said Warner as Elliot and Olivia made their way into her office.

"This seems to be a pattern in this case," said Elliot. "What's up?"

"The good news is that the DNA on the soda can matches Antonia and Hayley," said Warner, showing them the picture.

"The bad news is that it doesn't match Stephanie, I'm assuming?" said Olivia.

"Sorry."

"Okay, so we've got him for two," said Elliot. "Let's bring him in."

Elliot and Olivia made their way to Marcella. Olivia couldn't help but think how excited Caroline would be when they brought him back to the station house…she had been irate when they'd had to let him go after the twenty-four hour mark. Marcella was sitting on his porch, reading a book in Italian. He jumped up when the detectives approached.

"A little chilly for reading, isn't it?" Olivia quipped.

"Adam Marcella," said Elliot as Olivia cuffed him. "You are under arrest for the crimes of rape and murder. You have the right to remain silent…"

DOINK-DOINK 

"Thank the sweet baby Jesus!" Caroline exclaimed after they'd put Marcella in interrogation once more.

"I thought you were Jewish," said Fin.

"I had to thank somebody. 'Thank the sweet prophet Moses' doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

"Thank whoever the patron saint is of people coming out of comas. Stephanie's awake," said Munch, hanging up his phone.

"Let's go," said Fin.

"Bring me back something," said Caroline.

"Like what?" asked Munch.

"I don't know. Something to celebrate with. I'm not picky."

"Those are dangerous instructions in the hands of someone like John," said Fin.

"I mean like chocolate or something."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

Munch and Fin went out into the brisk day. As they walked, Fin suddenly turned to Munch with an odd grin on his face.

"She _is _pretty cute," he said.

"Who?"

"Caroline."

"Oh, come on," said Munch, annoyed.

"Nah, I see how you act around her."

"Fin, we're friends. She's nice. We get along."

"Wonder what all the little Munches would look like."

Munch had to exercise great restraint to keep from pushing Fin down a staircase.

DOINK-DOINK 

Munch and Fin had been questioning Stephanie for twenty minutes. She had been sobbing steadily the whole time. Finally, Fin asked the question they both dreaded asking.

"Do you know who did it to you?" he said gently.

Stephanie nodded. Fin and Munch looked at each other gravely. Fin took Stephanie's hand.

"It's okay, baby. Just tell us who he is and we'll pick him up. He'll never bother with you again."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You've done great. You can do this."

"No…you don't understand. I can't say it."

"Miss O'Neil, I want you to understand something," said Munch, sitting down next to her. "If you don't give us a name, this guy is going to get away with it."

"I just can't!"

"But you know who it is?" said Fin.

"Yes."

"Did he threaten you?"

Stephanie started crying even harder. Her hands were shaking just like they had when they had first met her. Fin put his other hand on her shoulder. Munch was inwardly impressed with how kind Fin was being – not that he wasn't a nice guy, but he was being very gentlemanly. Fin gave Munch a quick Look.

"Stephanie, tell us if he threatened you," said Munch. "That's a crime and we can lock him up just for that. Add on the attacks and he'll never get out. But we can't do anything without a name."

"He said he'd tell everyone about…" Stephanie trailed off.

"About what?"

"It's so embarrassing."

"Listen. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about. This guy's got nothing on you if we can pin him down, okay?" said Fin. "What did he threaten you with?"

"He said he'd tell everyone about my addiction."

There was a ringing silence.

"What addiction?" said Munch.

"It's nothing illegal. I – I'm addicted to caffeine. He said he'd tell everyone and that I'd go to rehab for it. I don't want to go to rehab. I don't like being away from home and my parents would be so disappointed. I just want to go home!" Stephanie wept, gripping Fin's hand hard. "He said no one would believe me because I'm a junkie. He said they'd say I was high and I made everything up and he said they'd think I took the drugs myself."

"How much caffeine did you have the night you were attacked?"

"I'd had…um…let me think. I'd had a pot of coffee and three caffeine pills. I think that's all."

"Okay. Look, we believe you. The evidence proves that he forced you to take those pills and that he raped you. We're on your side. We just need his name, that's all, and we can get him off the street."

Stephanie took a deep breath. "I remember him saying how upset his friend Adam would be."

"Why?"

"Because he'd lose the contest. The man who hurt me, he said they were having a contest to see who could have the most virgins by the end of the night. And he said to tell the police what he looked like, but I lied."

"You lied?"

"Yes. I told you he looked like Adam Marcella because I knew he was in on it and that he didn't know about the caffeine."

Fin sat down. "Stephanie, who is it?"

"Steve Maddox."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **SVU Not Mine.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**DOINK-DOINK**

"You're screwed, Steve!"

Elliot had just burst into the interrogation room where Steve Maddox, Antonia's boss from Fluffy's Bakery sat nervously.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I never touched Antonia!"

"No, you didn't. But you touched Stephanie O'Neil and Hayley Wernberg. You tried to frame an innocent guy in your bakery – did you really think we wouldn't have found out?" said Olivia. "You threatened to tell everyone about Stephanie's caffeine addiction if she sold you out. You forced illegal stimulants down her throat in order to make it look like a junkie OD when she's really just a scared young woman whose only addiction is Starbucks."

"She's a bitch."

"Oh, really, Steve? A bitch? I was under the impression she was a nice Catholic girl who volunteers at an ESL school. Was Antonia a bitch, too?"

"I told you, I never touched Antonia!"

"No…was that Adam?"

Steve sat in silence, arms folded, glaring at Olivia. Elliot got in front of her and glared right back at Steve, trying hard to control his rage.

"We know about your little contest with Adam. How you tried to see who could have the most virgins in one night, right? What happened? You got a little drunk, made your bet, and went to it. You knew exactly where to find these girls. You targeted them. You couldn't get them out of your head, could you?" Elliot whispered.

"Their innocence. You just had to be the one to take it, didn't you?" said Olivia. "You couldn't stand the thought of someone else having those nice girls before you, could you? You or Adam."

"No," said Steve.

"No? Well, we know this for a fact, Steve. You were sloppy. You didn't use condoms. You pissed all over their apartments. You left your fingerprints on the syringe you used to inject Antonia Mendez with heroine –"

"I never did that!" Steve shouted.

"Then who did?" Elliot yelled back.

"Adam! Adam – Adam did Antonia."

"So who did Stephanie and Hayley?"

Steve went silent again. Elliot grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close.

"You son of a bitch," he growled. "You tell me what you did."

"Okay," said Steve. "Okay. Fine. I…I didn't even know these girls. I knew that Stephanie came into the bakery a lot and I had seen Hayley there before. They were so…pretty. And sweet. And innocent. I just wanted to be the first one to touch them. Adam and I are friends and we were out. He knew Antonia from that ESL place and he said the others had volunteered there before. He said he could just tell they were virgins."

"So you placed a bet?" Olivia prompted.

"Yes. I even said I'd give him a head start."

"How's that?"

"I gave him Antonia's address," said Steve, now truly scared.

"You gave him her address?" repeated Elliot.

"Yes. I knew I'd win the contest. I just knew, so I got cocky and said he could just have her address. I had to find the other two. It was easy. But I knew I'd win the contest even though Adam had Antonia's address. I knew it."

"Then as soon as they've sentenced you to life in prison, I'll bring you a little blue ribbon," Olivia spat.

Elliot and Olivia stormed out, both disgusted and enraged at what they'd just heard, but relieved to have gotten a confession. Cragen, Novak, Caroline, Munch, and Fin met up with them outside the interrogation room.

"Marcella gave himself up, too," said Caroline. "Didn't take long."

"Can you believe this was a game for them?" said Olivia.

"Yeah. A game with no winners."


End file.
